Kantarō Suzuki was Japan’s prime minister when the country announced its surrender in August 1945.
Suzuki became prime minister on April 7, 1945, as Japan faced military defeat, blockade, and the prospect of an Allied invasion. He chaired the government during the final diplomatic and political crisis that followed the atomic bombings and the Soviet declaration of war.
The cabinet was divided over whether to accept the Potsdam Declaration. Suzuki and other civilian leaders supported ending the war, but influential army and navy leaders demanded additional conditions. The deadlock was broken when Emperor Hirohito intervened and supported acceptance of the Allied terms.
Suzuki’s government announced the decision publicly through Hirohito’s Gyokuon-hōsō on August 15. Suzuki resigned soon afterward, on August 17. The formal surrender instrument was then signed on September 2 by Japanese representatives aboard USS Missouri.